An Autumnal Atteva aurea

Often mistaken for a beetle, an Ailanthus Webworm Moth nectaring at a Bull Thistle provides a little splash of color among the surrounding dried grasses and wildflowers gone to seed. The boldly contrasting patterning and colors are thought to be aposematic, a warning that the moth is distasteful or toxic.

The Ailanthus Webworm Moth has a wingspan of from 20 mm to 30 mm, and as its name implies the larvae feed on the leaves of Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima).

A Melange of Moths

Conspicuous, colorful and often beautifully patterned, the butterflies tend to monopolize the Lepidopteran spotlight. Although many moths are indeed small, cryptically colored and only come out at night, this isn't always the case.

With a wingspan of about 55 mm the Virgin Tiger Moth (Grammia virgo) is one of the larger "tigers", and like many of its Arctiid cousins it has contrasting patterns and flashy colors to warn bats or birds of its toxicity. As a rule these moths rest with their wings closed but luckily this one showed off its stunning red and black hind wings.

The Beautiful Wood-Nymph (Eudryas grata) also sports bold patterns but for an entirely different reason – to imitate a bird dropping (the real thing can be seen to the right in the first photo). When the moth is perching on a wall, the fuzzy front legs spread at a wide angle help contribute to the illusion of a random "splat".

A mating pair of Rose Hooktips (Oreta rosea) masquerading as a dead leaf.

The variety of disguises, deceptions and impostures are seemingly endless, for example, this male Virginia Creeper Clearwing (Albuna fraxini) gives a pretty good impression of being a small wasp.

A Short-lined Chocolate (Argyrostrotis anilis) ...

.... and an Orange Mint Moth (Pyrausta orphisalis) ... hmmmm ... chocolate and mint, this is starting to sound yummy ...

Lepidoptera larvae are natural works of art in their own right, sometimes boldly colored like the adults to advertise their inedibility, or covered in bizarre arrays and clumps of hairs or spines – often toxic or irritating – to make them less appetizing or at least tougher to swallow. Ofttimes many of the more strikingly colored caterpillars metamorphose into the aforementioned drab, cryptically colored adults – click on the names to link to an account at Butterflies and Moths of North America.

Smeared Dagger Moth (Acronicta oblinita)

Haploa, not sure which species

The well-known and beloved Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar)

Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth (Malacosoma disstria)

Henry's Marsh Moth (Simyra insularis)

Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae)

Do not touch! The caterpillar of the Io moth (Automeris io) is covered in stinging spines that can cause dermatitis (speaking from experience, it feels like brushing against a Stinging Nettle).

When it feels threatened the larva of the Pandorus Sphinx (Eumorpha pandorus) pulls its head and true legs inside its natural version of a turtle-neck sweater.

And what kind of a moth might this be? The pupa was just laying on the ground out in the open; the shed caterpillar skin, complete with the head, is toward the right of the picture. It appears to be alive and undamaged, so its been placed in a "bug cage", and who knows what will eventually emerge? – a moth, or has the pupa been parasitized by a wasp? Time will tell ...

Maple Callus Borer Moth

Found throughout eastern Canada and the US, Synanthedon acerni has a rather curious color scheme. The moth's shape and size, the patterning on the wings, and the bright orange tuft of hair at the end of the abdomen lend the moth the appearance of a male Scorpionfly.

The larval host plant is maple, Red and Sugar Maple will do although Silver Maple is preferred and there was plenty of the latter growing in the area where the moth was encountered. The larvae bore in the wood and eventually a callus forms where the tree is infested.

Promethea Silkmoth (Callosamia promethea)

The Promethea Moth is common in most of its range, which includes south-central Hastings County in Ontario. Yet despite their large size and striking appearance these moths are seldom encountered due to their nocturnal habits, and when resting they hang out the trees where their patterning makes them difficult to spot. (Another seldom seen Saturniid is the Io Moth – live moths are few and far between but it's not uncommon to find the remnants of the wings of individuals that have been bagged by bats.)

This pair stood out like a sore thumb, but then again, as a rule one doesn't expect to see a pair of these moths in the grass at the edge of a parking lot ensuring their genes are passed on to the next generation. In the case of Callosamia promethea this happens from late afternoon until evening, and the eggs are laid at night.

The larvae eat the leaves of a variety of trees – maple, cherry, birch – this caterpillar was found on White Ash. In our area they pupate in early autumn, and the adults emerge in late May or early June to begin the cycle anew. Adult Promethea Moths don't have functional mouthparts and live only a few days, surviving on the energy stored in their tissues from their time as a caterpillar.

Promethea Moths are sexually dimorphic, with the male being smaller and much darker than the female, and lacking the chevron-shaped spots on the upper surfaces of its wings.

The wingspan varies from 75 mm to 95 mm, but the female seemed larger than this.

As if finding a mating pair of these large moths wasn't surprise enough, not fifteen meters away was another female taking shelter in an alcove. She looked like she had only recently emerged and was moved to the safety of a nearby park, as there was too much traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, in the area.

To learn more about this beautiful insect visit Butterflies and Moths of North America.

Bluish Spring Moth (Lomographa semiclarata)

As its name implies the color and patterning of the Bluish Spring Moth's wings do impart a bluish tint to them, making it resemble an undersized Spring Azure when in flight. Its day flying habit reinforces its butterfly-like aspect but at 20 mm in length it's much smaller than any of the early spring blues. The caterpillars eat Prunus spp, poplar and alders.

Nature photography is fun, challenging and educational but sometimes the pictures don't come for free. No ticks or mosquitoes this time but after stalking this wary moth through a marsh for half an hour the inevitable happened ...

Psychedelic Cecropia Moth Caterpillar

Maybe this is the Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar that Alice was talking to on her journey to Wonderland?

In terms of both wingspan and sheer bulk the Cecropia Moth is the largest of the local Saturniid or Giant Silk Moths. But then, Hyalophora cecropia starts out life as a larval heavyweight.

This caterpillar is huge, at least 11 cm long and 3 cm thick. And yes, those are VERY sharp black spines growing on the psychedelic bright yellow, day-glow orange and pretty powder blue tubercles.

Cecropia Moth larvae feed on a variety of host plants – alder, willow, birch, sugar maple, box elder, apples, plums and wild cherries; this one was found feeding on Choke Cherry.

The adult Cecropia Moth has a less gaudy but still beautiful color scheme. And ironically, although the caterpillar eats, and eats, and eats, the adult moth doesn't, it exists only to find a mate and lay eggs, and after a week to ten days ... it dies ...

Luna Moth

With a wingspan of about 11 centimeters, Actias luna is not the largest of the Saturniid or Giant Silk Moths, but in my opinion it is definitely the most distinctive and beautiful member of its family. Although this individual's wings have a bit of wear and tear and an overcast day created poor lighting conditions, it was almost impossible to take a bad photo of this striking insect.

Some more Luna Moth images – not as photogenic but nonetheless interesting due to the dramatic differences from the adult form – a caterpillar prior to pupation, and a well-camouflaged cocoon in the forest floor litter.

An Abbott's Sphinx, a Grapevine Epimenis and a Luna Moth

You know it's going to be a good day when there's a cool moth you've never seen before hanging out on the wall outside your door. Like many moths the profile and cryptic coloration of the Abbott's Sphinx (Sphecodina abbottii) make it resemble a piece of bark.

A closer look reveals that the drab brown tones are mixed with subtly beautiful patterns and colors.

Not the sharpest of images, but one is seldom lucky enough to capture an Abbott's Sphinx (or any other insect, for that matter) in flight using a small point-and-shoot camera.

Easily mistaken for a butterfly, the Grapevine Epimenis (Psychomorpha epimenis) is one of our day flying moth species. Given its diurnal habits and bold colors this little moth certainly isn't trying to conceal its presence. Are the colors possibly aposematic? Here are a few more photos of a Grapevine Epimenis encountered last summer ... A Flutter of Butterflies .

Yes, this is a moth. Over 30 cm in length, the cocoon was mixed in the litter near the base of a tree, the dead leaves incorporated into its thin papery weave making it virtually invisible in the debris. The pupa inside is quite active and can be felt moving about within the cocoon if it's handled. Based on the foregoing criteria – size, overwintering amidst the forest floor trash, and active pupa – I'm guessing and hoping that this is a Luna Moth and with a little luck will be able to witness and photograph the emergence of the adult.